Symptoms & Treatments

Using scientific principles, advanced diagnostic testing, and treatments other than drugs or surgery, functional medicine restores balance in the body’s primary physiological processes. The goal is the our patient’s lifelong optimal health.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) affects millions of Americans. Conventional physicians often fail to find the specific reason for a patient’s symptoms; therefore, they are unable to provide a specific treatment. IBS is a set of symptoms associated with the gastro intestinal tract.

Functional medicine’s approach is to look for the underlying cause of your symptoms by:

Taking a detailed history and performing a physical exam

Performing a comprehensive stool analysis

Ultrasound

Organic Acid Test

Food Allergy Test

Test for Yeast

Gluten Sensitivity Test

Thyroid

The thyroid gland controls the body’s metabolism and development through the production of thyroid hormones. These hormones set the body’s metabolic rate, the rate at which our body’s cells produce and utilize energy. The thyroid hormones are essential for life. Some symptoms of thyroid disease can include brain fog, fatigue, hair loss, insomnia, feeling cold or hot, chipping fingernails, hair loss, and others.

Functional medicine’s approach is to look for the underlying cause of your symptoms by:

Detailing your health history and performing a physical examination.

A full thyroid blood panel which consists of 8 tests, going beyond a standard TSH test. (A TSH test is not sufficient to make the necessary conclusions on your thyroid)

Saliva testing to determine cortisol level

Gluten Sensitivity Test

Food Sensitivity Test

Comprehensive Stool Test to Rule Out Dysbiosis

Adrenal Fatigue

Adrenal fatigue is technically called “hyoadremia” and is a stress syndrome. Most conventional physicians are unaware of its existence.

The adrenal glands have an effect on mental stress. As a result people with adrenal fatigue show a tendency toward

increased fears, anxiety, depression, mental confusion, brain fog and memory difficulties. If untreated it may lead to other health conditions such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, asthma, hypoglycemia, and autoimmune diseases.

Functional medicine’s approach is to look for the underlying cause of your symptoms by:

Chronic Yeast Overgrowth

Chronic yeast syndrome is due to overgrowth of yeast primarily in the large intestine or colon. It is a frequently overlooked diagnosis, yet it remains a common cause of a myriad of health problems.

Symptoms of Yeast overgrowth include abdominal bloating, cramping and gas, diarrhea or constipation, indigestion, craving for sugar, carbohydrates, depression, loss of focus, as well as severe pain in the muscles and joints.

Functional medicine treatment consists of killing the yeast in the colon and replacing it with good bacteria.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome will produce many symptoms. Individuals may experience severe fatigue lasting 6 months or more. Other symptoms could include chronic insomnia, poor short term memory, poor concentration, and recurrent infections.

Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is referred to as insulin resistance, it is estimated that 25% of Americans have some degree of insulin resistance or metabolic syndrome. Individuals with metabolic syndrome may experience high blood sugar, high blood pressure, high blood triglycerides, and too much fat around the waist.

Functional medicine’s approach to metabolic syndrome is to:

Eliminate highly processed foods and refined sugar

Establish a habit of eating several small meals

Avoiding caffeine and alcohol

Increasing exercise

Taking the correct nutritional supplements

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

In women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), the ovaries produce higher than normal amounts of testosterone that interferes with normal egg development and release. Some of the eggs develop into cysts, instead of being released during ovulation, these cysts build up in the ovaries and become enlarged. These cysts may cause significant pain.

Symptoms of PCOS include:

Weight gain / Obesity

Acne

Increased coarse hair growth on the face

Irregular or absent menstrual cycles

Infertility

Treatment of PCOS is done by treating the underlying cause, balancing the hormones naturally and promoting weight loss.

Insomnia

Adequate sleep is necessary for long term health and wellness. Sleep allows the body to regenerate by increasing secretion of growth hormones and scavenging of free radicals in the brain. Insomnia can be caused by emotional arousal, anxiety, disruptive environments, pain, caffeine and alcohol, as well as adrenal fatigue.

Insomnia may also be connected to a number of functional conditions such as hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, and neurotransmitter imbalance.

Testing for insomnia would include testing the blood and hormone balances in saliva , and neurochemical testing.

Functional medicine’s treatment for insomnia would include getting on a routine of natural supplements and exercise, while also looking to treat the underlying cause.